Buffalo Sabres Training Camp: Offense Chemistry Is Key For Success

A few days have gone by in the Buffalo Sabres training Camp so far, and the product shown is one that gives a good amount of hope. Coach Dan Bylsma may be tipping his hand a little bit by way of his three group top lines, and could be showing fans which players could be playing where. Should these lines have some stay to them, there is one key element that needs to be shown on the ice; chemistry.

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As the team has gone through some major changes over the past couple of seasons, team chemistry as well as player chemistry has not had much time to develop. With lines constantly changing due to trades the players last season had a rough time finding the right chemistry. The only players that really had a chance to develop anything like that were Tyler Ennis, Matt Moulson, and Zemgus Girgensons because they all played together for nearly the entire year.

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As training camp pushes on towards the season, coach Bylsma seems to have his general line combinations set in place (at least the first three). The first line in group A features Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane, and Tyler Ennis; the first line in group B is Jack Eichel, Matt Moulson, and Zemgus Girgensons; and the first line in group C is Sam Reinhart, Brian Gionta, and Jamie McGinn. These three line combinations are a clear indication of which players Dan Bylsma wants to see on his roster opening night.

As he stated back at the NHL draft, Bylsma wants Ryan O’Reilly to be his top line center. He obviously has faith in him that he can handle the offensive and defensive responsibilities that come with that job. Alongside of him is Kane and Ennis. Should the Sabres want to have success next season, there needs to be some true chemistry between O’Reilly and either Kane or Ennis. At Training Camp, these three need to find a way to get on the same page and learn each other’s habits. This should be priority number one on the list.

Jack Eichel has been living with Matt Moulson for some time now, and has obviously found some conformability with him. Putting them together on the same line is a very smart move by Bylsma. By having them together, Moulson is able to have constant contact with Eichel so they will be able to gain even further chemistry.

Should things between Eichel and Moulson go well, we could see some similar results to what John Tavares, or Steven Stamkos had in recent years. Both of them had veteran mentors that were able to mold them into superstars. Tavares had Doug Weight, Stamkos had Martin St. Louis, and now Eichel has Moulson to teach him the right way to play the game. The two of them have play styles that compliment one another, so chemistry between them is key for success in the upcoming season.

Sam Reinhart is manning the top line for group C and is playing with Brian Gionta beside him. This is a duo that I am honestly very excited to see. Both of these players are intelligent and see the ice very well, so the mentoring process will sink in very quickly. Keeping these two together for training camp will only pay great dividends for the Buffalo Sabres.

At the end of it all, chemistry between these players with their line mates, as well as with the rest of the team is going to be the most important thing as the season draws near. So many new faces are on the roster and they all need to be able to work together well enough to succeed.

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